Rail retaining member



June 1 1-, 1932, R FARIES ET AL 1,852,521

RAIL RETAINING MEMBER Filed Oct. 10, 1931 ga a Z Jzl'mgflb WITNESSES: IN VEN T 5- TTORNEYS.

Fig. II is a plan View of Patented June 14, 1932 [TED 'rATEs 'ATENT OFFICE ROBERT FARIES, OF ST. DAVIDS, AND ROBERT H. BOYD, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENN SYLVANIA I RAIL RETAINING MEMBER Application filed October 10, 1931. Serial No. 568,122.

Our invention relates to rail retaining members and more particularly to a resilient clip design for use in combination with a rail and tie plate as. a means for limiting or pre- 5, venting relative vertical movement between these elements. In using the term tie plate, we mean toinclude any form of plate, tie or foundation, upon which the base of a rail is adapted to rest or to be secured.

One object of the invention is to provide a retaining clip and a particular form of tie plate which when used in combination will enable rails to be quickly and readily assembled upon their supporting tie plates and to be removed with equal facility. Another object of the invention is to provide rail retaining clips and tie plates which are of simple and inexpensive manufacture, and yet which, when used in association with each other, effectively serve to limit vertical movement. of the rails to which they are applied. Still another object of the invention is to provide a form of retaining clip which is adapted to be driven to any one of a number of different predetermined positions with relation to the rail flange, depending on whether it is desired to effect pressure engagement between the retaining clip and the raiL'or substantial clearance between the retaining clip and the rail, or some intermediate condition. Diifering from our invention set forth in II. S. Letters Patent No. 1,801,807, granted April 21, 1931, our present invention is characterized by the provision of a special form of retaining clip which enables the selective positioningof the retaining clip on the tie plate in the desired relation to the rail flange without requiring a substantial change or addition of metal to a standard form of tie plate.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description hereinafter of one example or embodi ment thereof, the description having reference to the accompanying drawing, of which Fig. I is an end view of a rail, tie plate, and retaining member, the rail being shown in cross section, illustrating an example of our invention. v

the same.

Fig. III is a cross section of the tie plate taken as indicated by the lines IIIIII of Fig. I; and,

Fig. IV is a fragmentary view of an assembly similar to that shown in Fig. I, but in which the rail retaining member has been inserted from the inside of the tie plate lug rather than from the outside.

There is shown in the drawing a section of a rail 1 of standard form having a base flange 2 resting on a, tie plate 3. The tie plate 3 in turn is secured by screw spikes 4 to an underlying tie 5.

Adjacent to the outside edges of the base flange 2 of the rail 1, the tie plate 3 is formed with upstanding lugs 6 which merge with longitudinal ribs 7 .of less height than the lugs, the lugs and ribs together forming means for preventing lateral movement of the rail. Each lug 6 is transversely slotted or perforated at 8 so as to accommodate a retaining member 9 which when inserted through the lug projects horizontally to a position above the base flange 2 of the rail.

As shown in Figs. I and IV, the rail retaining clips 9 are adapted to be inserted or from the inside away from the rail. When 7 inserted from the outside, the rail retaining clips 9 may be applied by means of a hammer or other suitable tool. When inserted from the inside, they may be applied by means of a bar acting as a lever and fulcrumed at the rail head.

The rail retaining clip 9 in its preferred form is made from a bar of resilient material, and of uniform thickness, which is bent to the form of a hook. One end 10 of the bar is relatively fiat so that it may readily pass through the slot in the upstanding lug, and this end terminates in a tip 11 having an inclined lower surface 12, which when the-retaining clip is inserted in the position shown in Fig. I, bears upon or assumes a position above the base 2 of the rail and substantially parallels the sloping surface thereof. The other end 13 of the rail retaining clip is waved to afford a series of angular notches or serrations lta, 14?), 140. The notches 14a, 14b

and 14c, are substantially complementary in shape to the angular top surface 15 of the upstanding lugs 6, and they are so formed that, irrespective of whether the retaining clips are applied in the manner shown in Fig. I or in the reverse manner as shown in Fig. IV, they catch upon the top' surface 15 of the upstanding lugs 6 with suflicient tenacity to prevent dislodgment incident to service in track. Obviously the particular form which the notches 14a,14b and 140 may take admits of considerable Variation. It is important, however, that the retaining clips 9 be made of such material and of such normal shape that they will catch yieldingly on the upstanding lugs 6 whereby they may be readily applied and removed by the use of suitable tools, and at the same time the retainingclips 9 must offer suflicient resistance to distortion from their normal hook shape so that there is no danger of accidental dislodgment.

In the example of the practice of our invention shown at the right hand of Fig. I, the retaining clip 9 has been driven solidly against the rail base 2, causing the flat part 10 to be bowed upwardly with its tip 11 maintained in pressure engagement with the sloping surface of the rail base. In this position the inclined surface 140 of the other part 13 of the retainingclip 9 is in engagement with the top surface 15 of the upstanding lug 6 and is effective to prevent dislodgment.

In the example shown at the left hand of Fig. I, the retaining clip 9 has been driven to a point where its tip 11 is held at a position clear of the rail base so as to merely limit vertical movement of the rail rather than prevent such movement. In this position the notch 14a is in engagement with the top sur face 15 of the lug 6 and is effective to prevent dislodgment. While in Fig. I, for urposes of illustration, the retaining clip s own at the right hand is driven to one position whereas the corresponding retaining clip at' the left hand is shown in a different position,

it will be understood that in the ordinary practice of the invention the same condition will exist at both sides of the rail.

In the example of the'invention shown in Fig. IV, the retaining clip 9 has been applied in a reverse manner by inserting its end 10 through the slot 8 of the lug 6 from the inside of the lug in a direction away from the a rail. In this example, the clip 9 has been driven to a position in which the angular notch 14a is in engagement with the top surface 15 of the upstanding lug and is effective to. prevent dislodgment. An alternative position of the retaining clip is indicated in dotted lines.

' It will be apparent from the above descrip tion that with the use of tie plates and retaining clips of our invention, there is a range of selection as to the relative position ,of the tip of the retaining clip and the top surface tion of ordinary track spikes which in the course of time work loose under rail vibration or movement, the retaining clips of our invention, when once set in place in a predetermined selected position, retain indefinitely the same relation to the rail. Furthermore, in a length of track the retaining clips may be assembled with uniformity of application. Under certain conditions it may be desirable to apply the retaining clips in pressure engagement with the rails in which case they operate as rail fasteners preventing relative vertical movement between the rails and tie plates, and under other conditions it may be found desirable to utilize the retaining clips as stops, not in actual contact with the rail, but limiting the extent of its vertical movement.

lVhile we have described one example of the practice of our invention, with reference to a particular form of rail retaining clip and tie plate, it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the shape of the parts as herein described, without departing from the spirit of our invention which contemplates a variety of forms for these parts.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In combination witha rail and a tie plate having a projecting lug thereon, a retaining clip having one part passing through said lug to a position above the rail flange and another part caught on the surface of said lug, said latter part having a plurality of notches spaced therealong whereby the retaining clip is adapted to be held in place in any one of a number of predetermined positions with relation to the rail flange.

' 2. In combination with a rail and a tie plate having an upstanding lug, a resilient retaining clip having one part passing through said lug to a position above the rail flange and another part bent to catch on said lug, said latter part having a plurality of notches therein substantially complementary to the surface of said lug whereby the retaining clip is adapted to be held in place in any one of a number of predetermined positions with relation to the rail flange.

3. In combination with a rail and a tie plate having an'upstanding lug adjacent to the rail flange, a resilient retaining clip having one part passing through said lug to a position above the rail flange and another part curved around the top surface of said lug, said latter part being serrated to catch yieldingly in different positions on said lug.

4. In combination with a rail and a tie plate having a projecting lug' thereon, a resilient ries of notches substantially complementary to the surface of said lug and adapted to catch yieldingly thereon Whether the retaining clip be inserted from one side'or the other of said lu In combination with a rail and a tie plate having a projecting lug thereon, a retaining clip comprising a bar of resilient material and of uniform thickness bent to the form of a hook, having one end passing through said lug to, a position above the rail flange, and having the other end waved to afford a series of angular notches adapted to catch yieldingly on the surface of said lug whether the retaining clip be inserted from one side or the otherof said lug.

6. A rail retaining clip adapted for assembly upon a tie plate comprising a bar of resilient material bent to the form of a hook,

one end of said hook being substantially flat and adapted to bear upon the rail and the other end of said hook being serrated to afl'ord a series of notches adapted to catch yieldingly in different positions on the tie plate.

7. A rail retaining clip adapted for assembly upon a tie plate comprising a bar of resilient material and of uniform thickness bent to the form of a hook, one end of said hook being substantially fiat and adapted to bear upon the rail and the other end of said hook being waved to afford a series of angular notches adapted to catch yieldingly in different positions on the tie plate.

35, In testimony whereof, we have signed our names at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 6th day of October, 1931.

ROBERT FARIES. ROBERT H. BOYD. 4o 

